<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>ave atque vale by VOlympianlove</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576925">ave atque vale</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VOlympianlove/pseuds/VOlympianlove'>VOlympianlove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore Fusion, Angst and Tragedy, Attempted Murder, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Death, Heavy Angst, Inaccurate Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore, Infidelity, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore), Killing, Love, M/M, Murder, NHEV, No Happy Ending Fest, Poisoning, Romance, Tragic Romance, Unhappy Ending, Unrequited Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:28:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,801</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29576925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VOlympianlove/pseuds/VOlympianlove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every turn of the season, the children of Olympians are offered three wishes. <i>If they survive the culling. </i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Kim Jongin | Kai/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>No Happy Ending Fest - 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>ave atque vale</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Prompt #:</b> SP<br/><b>Pairing/Main Character(s):</b> Yixing/Jongin, Baekhyun/Jongdae, Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Kyungsoo/Jongin<br/><b>Side Characters(if any):</b><br/><b>Word Count:</b> 18,809<br/><b>Warning(s)/Additional Tag(s):</b> Major Character Death, Greek Mythology, Infidelity, Murder, Blood and Injury, Unrequited Love<br/><b>Author's note:</b> </p><p>This was inspired by a very very vivid dream I had of a ship sailing through midnight waters and the idea just sort of exploded from there! I have tried to remain as true to the Greek myths and lore as possible but of course, creative liberties have been taken in certain places so please don't come for me.</p><p>Thank you to the mods for granting me an extension to finish this and to VK and Y for betaing and being there while I moaned and struggled my way through this! I hope everyone enjoys the angst!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Something had woken him and he did not know what. Though born of darkness, it unsettled him then, a cold chill spreading through his veins. He shivered, pushing back the velvet coverlet.</p><p>The marble froze his feet, numbness spreading through his skin as he reached for the pull of the lamp. His heart stopped when he yanked it.</p><p>No light came on.</p><p>His breath came out in pants, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to his feet, the blanket doing everything in its power to keep him from moving. It clung to him, tangling in his limbs even as he staggered out of bed, terror blooming in his chest.</p><p>A sliver of moonlight shone in from between the drapes, illuminating the floor when he crossed it.</p><p>He saw himself reflected in the massive floor length mirror, mist curving around its edges. It really should have been hung up, not sat on the floor but there was nothing he could do about it alone.</p><p>His heart pounded in its cage as he stood frozen before the mirror,  a bell chiming in the far off distance.</p><p>
  <em>It’s time.</em>
</p><p>Something rustled. In the mirror, red blossomed across his shirt. He choked, blood welling in his throat, in his mouth, its metallic taste turning his stomach.</p><p>His hands flew up, clutching at the knife point that had appeared in the left side of his chest and he fell, knees buckling.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Soo,” said a lilting voice.</p><p>Kyungsoo stared into the mirror, choking on his own blood as he was lowered gently onto the floor, looking into the eyes of his best friend.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck you, Zhang Yixing.</em>
</p><p>-</p><p>It was still dark when he awoke. Something played softly in the background, the gentle scratching of the needle on vinyl. It was an old song, one that he knew from childhood. He hummed absently to it, wondering if Baekhyun had put it on.</p><p>He had been having trouble sleeping lately.</p><p>His body moved on autopilot, pushing aside the covers. The floorboards creaked when he got out of bed, wondering what time it was.</p><p>“Baek?” he called, pushing aside his blankets.</p><p>The music kept on playing in the background as he walked out of his room in the dark. He did not turn the lights on. Baekhyun hated the lights in the night. They hurt his eyes.</p><p>The doorknob froze his fingers when he wrapped his hand around it, the sticky lock jamming for a moment that made his heart skip a beat. It turned and the door opened.</p><p>Moonlight shone in from the open balcony windows, illuminating the record player slowly turning in the corner. It hummed when he got closer, peeking at the record curiously. Baekhyun was nowhere to be found.</p><p>He blinked, confused.</p><p>There were no sounds from the kitchen or the bathroom, both places of which Baekhyun could be. Baekhyun’s room door was cracked open, the room black as night when he looked inside.</p><p>“Baek, you alright?”</p><p>He tiptoed inside, wincing when the hinges creaked. There was a lump in the bed, wrapped up in blankets. The drapes were opened, a cold breeze sweeping in to ruffle his hair.</p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p>There was no time to scream when he was shoved hard from behind, knees striking the bed. A hand caught hold of his hair, pushing his face into the mattress.</p><p>His screams were muffled, covered by the sound of the bell tolling in the distance. He kicked and scratched but the hand held firm.</p><p>His lungs expanded and contracted. He gasped into the mattress, his struggles growing weaker and weaker.</p><p>He could not breathe.</p><p>-</p><p>Yixing picked up the photograph, chewing at his lip. He glanced outside, one hand on the hilt of his dagger.</p><p>The sun was rising in the horizon, blood red rays spilling into the crack in the drapes. The covers on the bed were so dark they almost seemed to absorb it, all the light in the world.</p><p>He set the photograph down, a bloody thumbprint left where Kyungsoo’s face had been.</p><p>It was pity he had to die. He was a good friend.</p><p>Someone else would take care of the others. He had little care for them. His teammates could be anyone, so long as they stayed out of his way.</p><p>Yixing glanced out of the windows again.</p><p>He would have loved this particular sunrise.</p><p>They would have stayed in bed together, tanned skin against white. He would run his fingers through his hair and whispered ‘you’re beautifuls’ against his lips until Yixing giggled and laughed and tried to throw him off.</p><p>He would have held him when he tried to push to him away, rutted against his thigh until Yixing felt him, until he reached down to under the covers to touch him.</p><p>It would have been magic.</p><p>Yixing shook himself, setting down the frame. It clunked against the desk, a smear of red making itself known on the white wood. He picked at it carelessly, turning his hand over to survey the mess of red streaks on his skin with cool disinterest.</p><p>That would be a pain to wash off.</p><p>He folded his fingers into a fist, nails digging crescents into the dried crusted blood and flesh. It was disgusting, little flakes of blood crunching under his skin.</p><p>The blade squeaked when he pulled it from its sheath, turning to study the copper streaked silver. The blood had coalesced <em>into</em> the mirrored blade, memorising how it felt to take a life.</p><p>When it caught the light, the rust coloured bits reflected another face. Wide eyed and choking his own blood.</p><p>Trust was such a fragile little thing.</p><p>Yixing sheathed the dagger, sticking his defiled hand into his pocket.</p><p>With one last glance at the photograph, at the body lying still before the full length mirror, he walked out of the darkened room.</p><p>Sunlight bathed his face when he emerged onto the streets of Athens. People hurried by, too busy to pay much attention to a man in a long grey overcoat and grief clinging to his shadows.</p><p>Yixing liked it that way.</p><p>He walked along the busy streets, the sounds of the city background noise. A pigeon squawked at him and he sidestepped, taking a special detour around it.</p><p>Birds unsettled him. Anything with a beak really.</p><p>It seemed silly, when he used a dagger as his weapon. His lover made fun of him for it all the time. Used to. His lover used to make fun of him.</p><p>Yixing’s thoughts drifted away from gentle teasing laughter back to the bloodied dagger in his pocket. He fingered its hilt as the pier came into view.</p><p>There were already two men on it, one in a long navy trench coat and the other in a stark black suit. One was tall and the other barely reaching Yixing’s height.</p><p>Yixing nodded at them, taking in the changes that he had not noticed the last time he had seen them.</p><p>Baekhyun’s hair was even lighter now. It curled softly around his face, in pale wisps. His eyes gleamed, as blue as the Aegean Sea, the edges lined with dark kohl.</p><p>His lips curled when he met Yixing’s gaze, chin tilting, almost challenging.</p><p>YIxing had to admit he was surprised.</p><p>He did not think Baekhyun had it in him. But there he was, standing at the edge of the pier beside Chanyeol.</p><p>Chanyeol, whose eyes were filled with fire that even years could not temper. He cocked his head when Yixing went closer, wind ruffling the mass of curls on his head.</p><p>They were dyed copper, fiery like the greek fire Yixing knew he always carried with him.</p><p>As far as teammates went, they were not terrible.</p><p>Only the wind and the squalling of seagulls filled the silence as the three of them stood at the pier. The waves washed in and out, gentle swishing that only served to unnerve Yixing even more.</p><p>He touched the hilt of his dagger again, squinting against the sun.</p><p>A dark spot appeared in the horizon, growing ever bigger. As If sensing a change, the wind grew stronger. It howled like a wolf on full moon’s night until it was a banshee’s scream.</p><p>The sky darkened, storm clouds looming. They blocked out the sun, turning the clear blue waters of the sea a murky grey.</p><p>Despite himself, Yixing shivered. It almost seemed as if the heavens were punishing them as the ship rocked closer, the waves grew higher.</p><p>It was a ship made of wood and steel, something out of the 1800s. There was no flag and Yixing was fairly certain no mortal could see it. All they would see were the angry grey sky and storm tossed waters.</p><p>A figure glided towards them when the ship was docked, a long coil of rope wrapped around the anchor point. It wore a grey cape speckled with spots from the rain that had begun lashing down.</p><p>When the figure lifted its head, Yixing sucked in a breath.</p><p>It was Kyungsoo.</p><p>He steadied himself, clenching his jaw when Chanyeol made a similar sound of astonishment, wondering if he saw his best friend too. Only Baekhyun remained strangely stoic, the muscle in his jaw jumping.</p><p>“Charon,” he said, almost too soft to be heard above the howling wind.</p><p>Charon inclined his head, face expressionless.</p><p>“Olympians,” he murmured, voice too big and too soft all at once.</p><p>Yixing’s hand itched and he had the sudden urge to pull it out and scratch. The dagger in his pocket tingled and he bit down hard on his lip.</p><p>
  <em>Focus.</em>
</p><p>The figure held out his hand and Baekhyun was the first to move. He dipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a golden drachma.</p><p>When he dropped it into Charon’s hand, Charon stepped aside, allowing him to pass onto the ship. Chanyeol was still staring when Yixing pulled out his own drachma, setting it into the boat-keeper’s hand.</p><p>His gaze burned into him when he brushed past him to board and Yixing could not stop a shiver from running down his spine.</p><p>He joined Baekhyun at the bow, staring out over the endless sea while Chanyeol mustered up his courage to hand over his payment.</p><p>The wind whipped at his face and hair, the ship rocking violently as the sea tossed about. Rain lashed down from the heavens, more like a whip than a spray of water.</p><p>Yixing pulled his hand out of his pocket, ignoring Baekhyun’s stare.</p><p>He let the rain drench his bloodied hand, scrubbing it clean of the deed he had done.</p><p>“So what’s the wish?” Baekhyun asked, once the ship had moved off. He seemed genuinely curious.</p><p>Yixing stared out over the grey blue water, swallowing hard. He swore he saw shapes beneath the surface, nereids or mermaids flashing in and out.</p><p>“My lover,” he said simply.</p><p>Baekhyun made a noise of sympathy, a hand touching his shoulder.</p><p>“Sounds like a waste,” Chanyeol commented from his other side.</p><p>Yixing stiffened, raising his brows. But he said nothing, holding his tongue as mist gathered in the distance, so thick that they could not see more than two feet beyond them.</p><p>The lashing rain faded away, replaced by the gentle trickling of water over river stones. High walls of black rock surrounded on all sides, like a cage.</p><p>The ship had transformed into a gondola, the curved bow bearing a single lantern that threw rays over the black water. When he looked overboard, Yixing saw faces in the surface like the reflection in a mirror.</p><p>They called to him, voices blending in together. Hands reached out of the water, dripping black back into the inky darkness.</p><p>Without knowing, he found himself at the very edge of the boat, peering into the water.</p><p>The blur of faces faded into one visible person.</p><p>“Jongin!”</p><p>Yixing’s jaw dropped. He fell to his knee, clutching at the edge of the boat.</p><p>Jongin’s face was twisted in anguish, his hand breaking the surface of the water. It was <em>his</em> hand, tanned like they had been in life, grasping at the air like he was drowning.</p><p>
  <em>Yixing hyung.</em>
</p><p>And <em>his </em>voice, calling to him. Begging him to help, to pull him out.</p><p>If it were not for the hand grasping his bicep, pulling him back, Yixing would have done it. At the back of his mind, he knew it was a trick.</p><p>The River Styx was the River for lost souls, for damnation. And Yixing had no doubt that he was damned. The hand that had held Katropis itched and he yanked away from Baekhyun, sticking both hands into his pockets.</p><p>Jongin cried. Tears streamed down his face, mouth open in a desperate plea that only twisted the knife further into Yixing’s heart.</p><p>YIxing tore his eyes away, sucking in a sharp breath of stale underworld air. He fingered the mirrored blade in his pocket once more, thinking of the reflection it would show if he pulled it out.</p><p>The soul it had taken so he could be here.</p><p>-</p><p>Baekhyun flicked the lighter curiously. He had nicked it out of Chanyeol’s pocket when the man was not looking. Chanyeol was so ditzy, his soul so lost that Baekhyun was sure he could have been mistaken as a soul in the muck of the River Styx.</p><p>He walked around with the air of a man who held the world on his shoulders and in the palm of his hands.</p><p>Baekhyun was surprised he did it, given the way he responded to seeing Sehun’s face on Charon. He flicked the lighter again, watching the little orange flame dance in the middle of the grey.</p><p>The River was turbulent, the souls beneath them restless. Their presence excited them, made them rear their heads out of the water, calling like sirens to sailors foolish enough to sail past their rocks.</p><p>Yixing was particularly susceptible. He had the most compelling reason to be there after all. A real life Orpheus.</p><p>Baekhyun clicked the lighter once more, snuffing out the orange blue flame.</p><p>He twirled the object round in his hand, watching the mast and floorboards beneath him flicker. Sometimes they were in a gondola, sometimes a ship. They shifted within each other, as if unsure which form to take for Baekhyun for he could see them both.</p><p>Chanyeol probably saw the ship. Given his status as one of the most successful merchants in Europe, he could not see anything less.</p><p>Yixing was the gondola, a creaky old boat just barely elegant enough to get them to their destination. To Hades.</p><p>The black rocks stretched towards the sky, as far up as he could see and every so often, he heard the moan of a spirit, the scream of some tortured soul from the depths of Tartarus.</p><p>Bat wings fluttered close to his ears and he turned, the tail end of a Fury’s whip disappearing into the smog. Charon stood at the edge of his peripheral vision, hands clutched around his oar.</p><p>Baekhyun turned back to the landscape, a prickle starting at the base of his spine. He spun the wheel on the lighter and the metal teeth dug into his flesh.</p><p>They passed black shores of nothing, wispy souls floating here and there. A hellhound barked once, red eyes glowing through the mist.</p><p>A male voice called out a command and the beast turned.</p><p>“It’s a mastiff,” Chanyeol said from beside him. Baekhyun startled, bringing his finger down to click the lighter before realizing that he was not holding it anymore.</p><p>Chanyeol shot him an amused glance, an orange flame appearing between his long fingers.</p><p>“I’ve always thought they’d be Dobermans,” he continued, closing his fingers around the flame.</p><p>It lit his fingers pink and orange, the heat searing across Baekhyun’s face when he held up a literal ball of fire in his palms.</p><p>“I think they’d look better as Dobermans,” Baekhyun said, sticking his hands into his pockets. “What with the pointy ears and all.”</p><p>Chanyeol laughed, a strange sound to hear in the bleakness of hell.</p><p>“They would, wouldn’t they? Hades ought to reconsider.”</p><p>Baekhyun smiled, watching Chanyeol toy with the fireball in his hand like it was clay. He teased it into the shape of a Doberman, with exceptionally pointy ears and let it bound around his palm trailing little flames in its wake.</p><p>“So what’s your wish?”</p><p>No matter how hard he tried, Baekhyun could not help his muscles tensing. He shrugged, going for nonchalance.</p><p>“What’s it to you?”</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged too, looking over to the bow where Yixing stood, peering down at the water.</p><p>“You asked him for his,” he answered, jerking his chin.</p><p>“Doesn’t mean I have to give up mine,” Baekhyun said, turning to gaze over the black water.</p><p>Chanyeol shrugged again.</p><p>“I’m wishing for money,” he said after a beat of silence. “It seems to solve everything in the world.”</p><p>“Won’t bring your best friend back though,” Baekhyun said, regretting the words the moment they passed his lips. Chanyeol’s eyes got hard, glinting like flint stones in the orange light. A muscle in his jaw jumped and he glanced once in Yixing’s direction before closing his fingers around the Doberman prancing in his palm.</p><p>“I wouldn’t bring him back even if I had an extra wish,” he bit out, expression so dark that he could have been made of the rock walls himself.</p><p>“That bad huh,” Baekhyun murmured. His mind flashed back to the way Jongdae’s screams died slowly, fading into nothing and a shiver ran down his spine.</p><p>He would not bring back a vengeful spirit either.</p><p>“Yeah,” Chanyeol bowed his head, his shoulders sagging. “He- wasn’t a good man.”</p><p>Baekhyun did not press further. He did not have a chance to, for the bottom of the boat grated against something hard, the sound of a sandbank striking against wood grinding in his ears.</p><p>He turned as Charon dug his oar into the silt filled water, bringing the boat higher onto the black shore.</p><p>“I guess this is our stop,” Chanyeol said, brushing past Baekhyun.</p><p>His shoulders were tense, almost up to his ears as he stepped off. Baekhyun followed suit, wrapping his hand around Yixing’s elbow as he passed.</p><p>The man jolted, as if pulled out of a dream. The smile he shot Baekhyun was wan, tight around the edges as he cast another look at the water, full of silt and mud and souls before stepping out of the boat so fast it rocked violently.</p><p>Baekhyun wobbled, cursing under his breath before a hand caught him. Electricity raced between them when he looked up to see Chanyeol staring down his nose at him, lips curled like he knew something he did not.</p><p>“I’m sorr-.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Baekhyun said, cutting off Yixing’s mumbled apology, never tearing his eyes from Chanyeol’s gaze. He smiled when Chanyeol looked away first, pulling his hand away from his elbow.</p><p>His boots squished as they trekked across a seemingly endless stretch of black sand. The calls of the damned souls grew softer, only the sound of silence filling the air. Pale wisps appeared in his peripheral vision.</p><p>A man in a business suit, a girl clutching a teddy bear and a young teenager in a baseball cap drifted past. Their eyes were hollow inside, unseeing. Their touch was cold, like a soft spray of water or mist when Baekhyun passed them.</p><p>The Asphodel Meadows were as bleak and grey as the stories told. Hundreds of souls wandered through the pallid flowers, barely disturbing the blossoms. The asphodels of the meadow looked nothing like the ones on earth, grey and ghostly, swaying to a wind that no one could feel.</p><p>Baekhyun shivered as he followed Chanyeol, fixing his eyes on his broad, broad back.</p><p>It would be so easy to get lost in the meadow. To drink from the River Lethe and lose all sense of self. Like Yixing would, given the way he searched the faces of the crowd, his hands passing through every soul that he reached out to touch.</p><p>The haunted look in his eyes made chills shiver down Baekhyun’s spine as he reached out, touching his elbow. Yixing turned to him, deflating.</p><p>“You won’t find him here,” Baekhyun said. Even his quiet voice was too loud in the silence of the meadows. “It is too vast.”</p><p>Yixing bowed his head, sorrow carved into his features as he let Baekhyun lead him along after Chanyeol’s retreating back.</p><p>Baekhyun felt but a pinch of guilt at the thought of his own wish. He flexed his fingers around Yixing’s elbow, wondering if Hades would have a special place for him after all had been done.</p><p>The road to Hades’ castle was long and dull, filled only with the restless spirits that floated across the dreary fields. Low growls echoed in the air occasionally, breaking the monotony as they made their way through the horde. Even the sound did not disturb the souls.</p><p>They continued on their way, drifting aimlessly with very little attention paid to the very alive souls walking amongst them.</p><p>Baekhyun shuddered when red eyes peered out from the gloom, fixing upon him. Another set of eyes swung around, a long, threatening growl sending shivers down his spine. Besides him, Yixing grabbed for his elbow.</p><p>Something flashed in the corner of his eye, light dancing off the flat of Yixing’s mirrored blade.</p><p>“It’s Cerberus,” Baekhyun whispered, reaching for Yixing’s wrist. “He won’t hurt us.”</p><p>“You sure?” Yixing asked, his voice trembling when a final set of eyes blinked open in the darkness.</p><p>“Fairly certain,” Chanyeol put in. His tone was uneasy when he joined them, gaze fixed upon the massive dog emerging from the gloom.</p><p>From the neck down, Cerberus was a fairly normal dog. A rottweiler the colour of the black rock around them. The silence was almost deafening when Baekhyun realised they had left the Asphodel Meadows far behind.</p><p>But neck up, his multiple heads were all trained squarely on the trio. By the light of Yixing’s blade, Baekhyun saw Cerberus’ muscles ripple under his skin. He swallowed hard.</p><p>Could the dog tell that he did not belong there?</p><p>Impossible.</p><p>Still, Baekhyun reached for the syringe he had hidden, his hand shaking until it closed around solid glass. He pulled it out, biting hard on his lip when Cerberus’ three sets of eyes turned on him.</p><p>“What, are you going to tranquilise him?” Chanyeol asked, his laugh weak.</p><p>“Maybe,” Baekhyun answered, praying that the dog would just let them through. He was in no mood to try and battle a dog of Hades.</p><p>Cerberus’ massive nostrils twitched, a low growl emitting from his throat. He took a step forward, the ground trembling from his weight.</p><p>Baekhyun pushed the needle down, magic tingling through his fingers as the syringe in his hands transformed into a sword with a blade of gold. It cast its own light around the cave, dancing off Yixing’s Katropis.</p><p>For a brief moment, Baekhyun thought he saw a face in the mirrored blade. A face not his own.</p><p>“Imperial gold,” Chanyeol whistled, “gift from your dad?”</p><p>Baekhyun paid him no mind, moving closer to Yixing. He did not think the dog would attack them, not when they had every right to be there but it was always better to be cautious.</p><p>Cerberus bristled at the sight of the sword, baring his teeth.</p><p>“Easy puppy,” Yixing whispered under his breath. They both tensed when the sound of a sword scraping against its sheath grated on their ears.</p><p>“Can’t you call it off?” Baekhyun asked, never taking his eyes off the massive dog.</p><p>“He won’t listen to anyone but Hades, but I’ll try,” Chanyeol said, bringing out his own sword. He whistled sharply, swinging his sheath by its ties. Cerberus’ ears perked up, the head on the left swinging round to look at him.</p><p>“You wanna play fetch?”</p><p>A long forked tongue lolled out, globs of saliva dripping onto the ground. Baekhyun had never seen a dog so excited by the prospect of running after a hunk of stick shaped leather before. He backed away, a little thrill of fear shooting through his bloodstream when Cerberus’ three heads turned to focus on Chanyeol.</p><p>“Go get it!” Chanyeol called, so falsely cheery that he cringed.</p><p>The leather sheath went flying and Cerberus after it, barking so loudly that he could have woken the dead.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Baekhyun hissed, grabbing for Yixing’s arm.</p><p>“You guys go,” Chanyeol said, keeping his gaze on the giant dog.</p><p>Yixing frowned at that. He flexed his wrist, Katropis reflecting the light from Baekhyun’s sword. Baekhyun could definitely see the face in the blade now, a young man with dark eyes that looked nothing like the Jongin he remembered.</p><p>He shuddered, itching to put away his own sword if only for the man’s eyes to stop following him.</p><p>“We are supposed to enter together,” Yixing said evenly, sheathing his dagger. “Hades will not see us without you.”</p><p>Chanyeol snorted, twirling his blade. He whistled again, Cerberus bounding back to him. His tail wagged, so viciously that it sent wind buffeting towards them. He was panting, body shaking in anticipation when Chanyeol took the sheath from him.</p><p>“Go get it!”</p><p>Off he went again, with a yap more suited for a Chihuahua than a Rottweiler the size of a house.</p><p>“If you think showing up with me would win us more favours…”</p><p>“We don’t,” Baekhyun cut in.</p><p>The Olympians cared nothing about their children. Not anymore. Perhaps in another lifetime they had but now, giving a gift when their children turned of age was the most they would ever do. </p><p>That and the vicious fight to the death for three wishes awarded. It was a culling and every Olympian child knew it. The wise ones kept out of it, hid away from their parentage and lived <em>normal</em> lives.</p><p>The foolish ones fought, killed their brethren for one stupid wish that was supposed to turn their life around.</p><p>Baekhyun supposed that made him foolish, as he watched Cerberus bound back towards them, dropping the leather sheath at Chanyeol’s feet with a happy yap. He plopped down onto his ass in a perfect sit when Chanyeol commanded him to, ears drooping mournfully when Chanyeol asked him to stay.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Chanyeol muttered, retrieving the saliva soaked sheath.</p><p>He strapped it on without much regard for the drool that still covered it, sheathing his sword. They followed his lead, allowing the darkness to swallow them all.</p><p>-</p><p>Chanyeol fingered the hilt of his sword as they walked, the curling mist receding the further they ventured out of the cave. Cerberus’ pitiful whines still rang in his ears. He thought about his own Cerberus, sitting in his sister’s home waiting for him.</p><p>The likelihood of him returning home was almost a hundred percent but if there was even a chance of him dying down here, he hoped his sister would take care of Cerberus. The little demon would have the happiest of times in her country home.</p><p>Something bumped into his shoulder, jolting him with a curse. He stretched out a hand, catching Baekhyun before he could fall or turn his ankle on a loose rock.</p><p>“Careful,” he rumbled, not letting go until he was certain Baekhyun was steady on his feet.</p><p>Chanyeol could not help the way his heart beat a little stronger. He had never stood quite so close to Baekhyun before.</p><p>They had met of course, in passing before Jongdae’s family fell into ruin and the company was sold on to Yixing and Baekhyun had always turned heads.</p><p>His hair had been a more manageable hazel then, dyed in an attempt to blend in but he still drew Chanyeol’s gaze like a magnet to metal.</p><p>Chanyeol knew better than to make a move anyhow. Baekhyun was not high society. Far from it.</p><p>Everyone knew he was born in the countryside of Seoul and only met Jongdae by chance. His low standing and the society’s view on such relationships were what destroyed Jongdae’s family in the first place.</p><p>Now, with his shock of white hair, he was even more beautiful than Chanyeol remembered. Even their little conversation on the ship had made every part of him tingle with pleasure.</p><p>“Thanks.” Blue eyes gleamed in the darkness, blue that Chanyeol could see perfectly well despite the inky blackness that surrounded them. He grew up in darkness, wrapped and cradled in it. It was a substitute to the father he would never know.</p><p>That was the price of being born an Olympian child.</p><p>Hades was kinder than most fathers, if the stories were true. He visited every one of his children when they were born, blessed them with a drop of his powers and the ability to visit the underworld whenever they chose to. They were not allowed near his palace or anywhere past the three judges but it was more connection than any other god or goddess allotted their children.</p><p>Strange thing for a god of death.</p><p>Underworld. Chanyeol mentally corrected himself. Thanatos would be offended if he called Hades the god of death. He smiled in the darkness, a memory of the deviously handsome god surfacing in his mind.</p><p>Thanatos had been the one to guide him back to the surface, making him promise never to return to the three judges.</p><p>“What are you doing here?”</p><p>All the noise of the Underworld faded away when he first laid eyes on the man. Long dark hair flowed down his back like a waterfall of black, the feathers on his wings ruffled by an unseen wind, he took Chanyeol’s hand.</p><p>Chanyeol blinked at him, looking down at the contrast between his own white hand and the man’s teakwood coloured skin. He did not know why he allowed it. Even his own mother would not touch him like that anymore, knowing whose son he was.</p><p>“I’m looking for my father,” he said quietly.</p><p>“You will not find him here, child,” Thanatos said, shaking his head. His eyes were full of pity and the pity made Chanyeol angry.</p><p>“Where then?” he snapped, “tell me!”</p><p>“Your father is not permitted to see you. He has seen you all but once in your life. He touched your face when you were just a babe, swaddled in sheets and gave you all that he could. Now, go away and <em>live</em>.”</p><p>Chanyeol yanked his hand out of his grasp and tried to run but Thanatos was upon him at once.</p><p>“Live, child, as you mortals do and never dwell in wishes, darkness or death. It is not what your father wants for you.”</p><p>He had been the one to warn him of the wishes, telling him to avoid the bloodshed, to choose a mortal life instead of hoping a god’s power could change his fate.</p><p>“Will I see him? If I earn the wish?” Chanyeol asked in earnest, “will he be proud?”</p><p>Thanatos’ face clouded. He touched Chanyeol’s face, trailing a finger down his cheek.</p><p>“If there was ever a reason he would <em>not</em> want to see you, it would be those blasted wishes. Stay away, child. Your father may be powerful but even the gods are powerless against the fates.”</p><p>Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus’ faces loomed over him when he blinked his eyes open. They stood amongst a sea of white, spirits standing so close together that they melded into mist.</p><p>“Park Chanyeol,” Rhadamanthus sneered, “your hands are drenched in blood. Your father would be displeased.”</p><p>Chanyeol did not flinch. He looked straight into the eyes of the judge, dragging his gaze over all three.</p><p>“I am not dead.”</p><p>The judges looked at each other and the gates squeaked as they slid open. It was the closest Chanyeol had ever been to his father’s palace.</p><p>The souls rushed forward, coating his skin in mist and dew and cold but one howl from Cerberus silenced them all. The dog must have followed them.</p><p>Chanyeol glanced behind only once, to see the three headed dog sitting at the door of the dead whining like he had been deprived of his playtime before stepping through. His heart beat like a hummingbird in his chest, his pulse picking up at the mere thought of meeting his father.</p><p>As far as he knew, no one had ever come so close to their godly parent. Every child of Hades before him had chosen peace.</p><p>Baekhyun’s gaze burned as they passed through the gates.</p><p>“You did not use the wish just to meet your father, did you?” he asked, just the smallest hint of scorn in his tone.</p><p>Chanyeol’s upper lip curled and he laughed, the sound fading quickly in the quiet bleakness.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>He glanced at Yixing, who seemed lost in his own bubble again. The man never seemed to be present at all, a dangerous feat considering they were in the depths of the underworld.</p><p>“I have a wrong to right,” he said instead, turning away when Baekhyun’s eyebrows rose.</p><p>The Furies swooped above them, their shrieks enough to curdle his blood. He caught a glimpse of their whiplike tails before they vanished into the gloom, wings flapping. Far away in the distance, he heard a low moan, as if Tartarus itself was in pain.</p><p>Despite the dark rocks that made up the underworld’s sky, black mist roiled above them, makeshift clouds in a sky of stone. Chanyeol shuddered when batwings went whooshing over his head, a Fury’s ugly face peeking out to snarl in his direction before she spiralled into the air, lashing her whip.</p><p>Her sisters glared down from where they were perched, lips pulled back in bared teeth as If Chanyeol had done them some great wrong. Chanyeol paid them no attention despite the shivers running up his spine.</p><p>He wrapped his arms around himself, setting his jaw.</p><p>The Erinyes were avengers and he was certain he would be brought before them one day. His hands were certainly not clean of blood and he feared the day Tisiphone and Alecto would leer their faces at his soul.</p><p>But he found solace in the fact that Sehun would likely have had to look upon Megaera’s face when he was judged. Wherever he was, Chanyeol hoped it was fitting for a man of his character.</p><p>He glanced in Yixing’s direction again, clenching his fists.</p><p>Baekhyun was staring again, his gaze causing goosebumps to rise up on Chanyeol’s skin.</p><p>Chanyeol looked at him once, eyes the colour of the Aegean Sea searing across his retinas before he turned away, the muscle in his jaw working.</p><p>A screech yanked him out of his thoughts just in time for Baekhyun to grab his arm. He stumbled, cursing under his breath when he was yanked away, a Fury’s tail barely missing his face.</p><p>Yixing yelped, the sound piercing in the silence. He staggered away and even in the dim light, the blood was stark against his cheek.</p><p>“Styx,” Chanyeol cursed.</p><p>Yixing did not seem to hear him. He raised a hand to his face, pulling it away as if shocked to feel the blood.</p><p>A wry smile tugged at his lips and he wiped his hand carelessly on his coat, turning his face skywards to watch the Furies swoop away.</p><p>“Why’d they do that?” Baekhyun asked when Yixing rejoined them.</p><p>Yixing shrugged, though the look in his eyes was dark. Chanyeol watched him closely, watched the way he stuck his hand into his coat pocket to pull out Katropis.</p><p>He was in no position to judge but he was certain the Fury that had clawed him across the face was Tisiphone, punisher of murderers.</p><p>Chewing his lip, Chanyeol pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, offering it to Yixing without a word. Yixing took it with a murmur of thanks, his shoulders weighted down with sorrow.</p><p>The Furies roosted upon the tips of the wrought iron gates they came upon, leering down at them with bloodshot eyes.</p><p>The gates creaked open slowly, swinging inwards to reveal Persephone’s garden. Lush red pomegranates grew from the dense trees, every branch laden with fruit.</p><p>“Don’t touch anything,” Chanyeol said aloud when a fragrance wafted over them. It was almost irresistible, cloyingly sweet.</p><p>“We know,” Baekhyun said, lips curled. “We’ve all read the legends.”</p><p>Windflowers bloomed amongst the tall grass, in all sorts of colours. Their heads swayed to an unseen wind, carrying with them the heavy scent of pomegranates.</p><p>“They’re beautiful,” Yixing said, his tone dreamy. His gaze was faraway, fixed on some distant point that Chanyeol could not see. He wondered what he saw, what he could see in that beautiful strange garden of Persephone.</p><p>He took a step and nearly tripped over a pile of rubies, shining strangely in the ground. The sharp edges of the gems stabbed into his boot, nearly cutting through the leather.</p><p>“Careful,” Baekhyun said, catching his arm.</p><p>His eyes were <em>really </em>blue.</p><p>Chanyeol swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He could not remember the last time anyone had looked at him with such intensity.</p><p>“We always seem to be tripping and catching each other, huh,” he said weakly, carefully pulling his elbow out of Baekhyun’s grasp.</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, those piercing eyes following Chanyeol as he sidestepped the pile of rubies, just managing to miss a clump of raw diamonds, sparkling in the dimness.</p><p>There were more flowers, ones that Chanyeol could not recognise. They gave off their own light, luminous in the dark and a brook tinkled, almost merrily in the distance.</p><p>Thick mist clouded at the edges of his vision as they walked further into the gardens, carefully skirting around the piles of rubies planted in the ground. Chanyeol idly wondered if they would grow, if the birch trees that rose up on either side of them were a result of the gems.</p><p>Something white flashed amongst the trees. He froze, reaching for his sword at once.</p><p>“What is it?” Baekhyun asked, coming to a stop next to him.</p><p>“Heroes,” a clear voice called, as musical as the brook rippling to Chanyeol’s right.</p><p>A woman emerged from the depths of the trees, cloaked in shadows that writhed and danced about her body. Her dress was almost sheer, a soft blue that reminded Chanyeol of the sky and it swirled like the mist at her ankles. She walked barefoot, white skin peeking out from beneath the hem of her skirt.</p><p>“We aren’t heroes,” Baekhyun called before Chanyeol could stop him, his gaze hard.</p><p>The woman chuckled. Her dark hair danced with the shadows, a streak of black trailing over one shoulder.</p><p>“No, you are not, Byun Baekhyun.”</p><p>“My lady,” Chanyeol cut in before Baekhyun could get them all killed. He bowed and the others did the same.</p><p>Persephone’s gaze was like an arrow, piercing through him when he straightened. Her gaze sharpened when she looked at him, lips twisting.</p><p>“Your father will not be pleased to see you.”</p><p>“So Rhadamanthus said,” Chanyeol answered carefully, ignoring the twinge in his chest.</p><p>Persephone regarded him with her cold grey eyes, brows furrowing.</p><p>“He is waiting for you,” was all she said after a tense moment. Her gaze lingered on the sword that Chanyeol wore before she spun around, her skirts flying out around her like sea foam on water.</p><p>Chanyeol clenched his jaw, following after her into the darkness.</p><p>-</p><p>His boot heels echoed off the walls as he walked, hollow like horseshoes on concrete. Tiny blue flames flickered on the lamps they passed, casting strange shadows that danced on grey walls.</p><p>It was more of a cavern than a hallway, the damp and cold seeping through the rocks.</p><p>Almost unconsciously, Yixing pressed closer to Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Just their very presence was enough to ground him. Living souls always blazed the brightest amongst the dead.</p><p>The trees had vanished a mile back, thick black mist blanketing the gardens. He did not remember passing through a doorway but there they were, heels clicking through the hollow halls of Hades’ palace.</p><p>The god himself visibly did not care for décor as no paintings hung on the walls, even as they traversed from rock to limestone. Even the lamps were black, melting into the shadows they passed.</p><p>Drafts blew through cracks in the stone, biting and snatching at the hem of his coat like the hands of lost souls. Yixing shivered, sticking a hand into his pocket. He nearly yelped aloud when he touched the sheath, the leather freezing against his fingertips.</p><p>Baekhyun turned around to look at him strangely and Yixing forced a smile. The other man merely raised an eyebrow before Chanyeol touched his elbow, leaning in to whisper in his ear.</p><p>The two of them had grown close. Yixing did not think gods’ children mingled without bloodshed but apparently they had for he saw Baekhyun’s lips curve the smallest amount at whatever Chanyeol said.</p><p>He wondered Baekhyun’s lover would think of his affair with another. Or, a chill ran down his spine at the mere suggestion of the thought; perhaps Baekhyun had killed his lover.</p><p>Kim Jongdae’s dalliance with Baekhyun was widely known. It was the reason his family fell into ruin and how Yixing got his hands on one of the most profitable corporations in all of Asia.</p><p>It seemed rather ironic that the man who threw away everything for love would be murdered by said partner.</p><p>Relationships between Olympian children were never wise, for you never knew who could be plotting behind your back. It was like painting a bulls’ eye on your back and begging to be shot.</p><p>Yixing’s thoughts wandered to Kyungsoo and his hand began to itch. The rain had washed his hand clean but he thought he could still feel it, hot blood spilling down his hand, staining his skin, crusting under his nails until he could never get it out again.</p><p>He was no fool.</p><p>No one looked at a friend like that, the way Kyungsoo looked at Jongin. Yixing remembered wanting to claw his eyes out at a company event once, remembered frightening himself with the fervour of his jealousy.</p><p>Jongin was <em>his.</em></p><p>Jongin was the only thing who kept him afloat, alive when his company sank. When there was no light in the darkness, Jongin had been his beacon.</p><p>Kyungsoo had come after, integrating himself so seamlessly into their circle that Yixing almost thought nothing at it. Until that one day he caught him spying, watching him and Jongin kiss on the stone ledge of the bath.</p><p>He knew Yixing saw him, for their eyes had met before he retreated, cheeks tinted red. Whether it was by the shower steam or the shame, Yixing never knew.</p><p>But he had seen the way Kyungsoo’s eyes roved over Jongin’s golden skin, down his back where Yixing had raked red lines.</p><p>Jongin could not know. Yixing knew with bone chilling certainty that Jongin would leave him, would end all romantic relationship with him if he knew of Kyungsoo’s feelings. He was good like that.</p><p>But Yixing was not. Yixing was selfish and desperate and he would have done anything to keep Jongin with him.</p><p>His thoughts drifted to the papers he had hidden away in his desk so that Jongin could not find them. The papers with Kyungsoo’s name stamped onto them. An agreement where he would sail away to the next port and the next port over to try and bring Yixing’s business back to life.</p><p>It had been such a wonderful plan.</p><p>He would have at least two glorious years with Jongin. Living frugally of course, but money did not matter to Yixing. Not when he had the love of his life by his side.</p><p>Then Jongin had fallen ill.</p><p>Yixing stumbled, cursing under his breath when he was ripped out of his thoughts. His ankle throbbed when he caught himself on the wall, a loose stone tumbling out from under his boot.</p><p>“Not very graceful are you, for a child of Aphrodite?”</p><p>The voice boomed through the room, more like a cavern with how high the ceilings were. It reverberated through the floor as he stepped forward to join Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who were glancing back at him in concern.</p><p>“Lord Hades,” Yixing said, his back stiff. He bowed, shuffling into place beside Baekhyun.</p><p>Katropis was hot in his pocket when the God of the Underworld’s gaze sliced through him, piercing like a knife. He sucked in a breath, trying to keep his composure.</p><p>It was almost as if he could see inside him, into his dirtied soul.</p><p>“I would welcome you but that would make me a liar,” Hades said calmly, his gaze turning onto Chanyeol. His disapproval was clear as Chanyeol fidgeted with the hilt of his sword, his head bowed towards the earth.</p><p>“I had to,” Chanyeol said, his voice almost a whisper and Hades looked away, a pained expression flickering across his face for a millisecond.</p><p>It was more expression that Yixing had ever seen on an Olympian. And for a God of the Underworld. He felt a pang in his chest, more envy for Chanyeol than anything else.</p><p>Hades loved his children, even in a twisted sense. He had heard rumours that he attended every birth, granted them access to the Underworld and personally chose the weapons that would suit each child.</p><p>Because he <em>had</em> so few children.</p><p>It was more than his mother ever gave to him.</p><p>Aphrodite’s children were many and they usually died young, too full of pride and vanity to live long. She was never very attached to her children, favoring only those who were beautiful but always less than she.</p><p>Yixing was lucky to wield Katropis at all. His mother had taken it from Helen of Troy and bestowed it upon him when he was a baby. Because a blade that has never seen battle would be most appropriate for a child of Aphrodite.</p><p>It was the one thing Yixing treasured, even if he resented his mother for giving him what essentially was a mirror.</p><p>“It is a clever trick, child of Apollo,” Hades said, turning to Baekhyun. “I would not have thought of it myself.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s hackles rose visibly,  his shoulders tensing. Even Chanyeol looked uneasy, his glance towards Baekhyun wary.</p><p>“Alas, it is not my business how you came to be here, only that you came. So speak, son of mine.What sort of wish would bring you into my domain?”</p><p>He turned his attention onto Chanyeol, expression darkening as he gazed upon his son.</p><p>It was enough for Yixing to be relieved.</p><p>But Chanyeol met his gaze bravely, never wavering when he spoke.</p><p>“Gold,” he said, “enough gold to resuscitate a fallen corporation and ensure its success for the rest of its reign.”</p><p>Hades leaned back in his throne, the muscles in his jaw working.</p><p>“Why would you ask for that when your company thrives?” he mused, “when I have gold enough to supply you for the rest of your life?”</p><p>He gestured towards the back of his throne, where Yixing assumed the vaults must be. Persephone melted out of the darkness, resting a hand upon his shoulder. She murmured something to him and Yixing could almost see the tension melt from Hades’ shoulders.</p><p>His heart ached at the careless touch, the gentle affection that he had missed <em>so </em>much.</p><p>“It’s not for me,” Chanyeol said before Hades could speak again. He turned, levelling his gaze at Yixing with so much intensity that it scared him. “It’s for him.”</p><p>Yixing blinked back at him, before the words sunk in.</p><p>“I don’t need your charity,” he snapped, clenching his jaw so hard he swore a tooth cracked.</p><p>“It isn’t charity,” Hades boomed, cutting his eyes between Chanyeol and Yixing. “He had a wrong to right.”</p><p>Yixing straightened, his fists clenching.</p><p>“But you have done me no wrong,” he said, confusion seeping into his tone.</p><p>As far as he remembered, Chanyeol had only ever been cordial to him at company events and parties and when his partner, Oh something proposed a partnership, he had been amicable to it.</p><p>It certainly was not his fault that the business lost money. It was only Yixing’s incompetence.</p><p>“Sehun did,” Chanyeol said, unable to meet his eyes now. He stared at the floor, fiddling with the rings on his fingers.</p><p>The throne room was quiet, the silence weighing heavily on Yixing’s chest.</p><p>“What do you mean?” he asked, digging his hand into his pocket. He closed his fingers around Katropis, inhaling the stale underworld air.</p><p>A scent of pomegranates permeated his nostrils and he exhaled.</p><p>“That is a matter you can settle outside my court. Consider it done, my son,” Hades cut in. “Now you, son of Aphrodite.”</p><p>He said the name with distaste, his lips curling into a grimace. Yixing thought he ought to be offended on his mother’s behalf but found that he could only agree with his sentiment.</p><p>“My lover.” He was ashamed to hear his voice crack. Chanyeol turned his face away, perhaps as a sign of respect but Baekhyun remained where he stood, his jaw tight. “I want him back.”</p><p>Hades’ eyebrows raised and he leaned back in his throne. Persephone said something inaudible, a white hand curled around his arm.</p><p>“How very like your mother,” he said and the weight of his voice made Yixing tremble where he stood.</p><p>“Are you certain, child of Aphrodite? Souls returned are never quite like what they once were.”</p><p>“Yes,” Yixing said, almost too quickly. He swallowed, emotion blooming in his chest. “I want nothing else.”</p><p>Hades regarded with something like pity before waving his hand.</p><p>“You must pull him out of the Styx yourself. <em>If</em> your love is strong enough, it will ground him. He will walk out whole. But when you return to the overworld, you must have a body to host him. He may be flesh and blood here in my realm but in the mortal world, he is only a soul.”</p><p>Yixing inhaled, clenching his fists by his sides. He ignored the implications Hades made; he had to.</p><p>“Now you, child of Apollo. You wield his sword and you <em>reek</em> of sunlight. I never thought a child of his would be clever enough to resort to trickery.”</p><p>Baekhyun’s lips trembled and his gaze hardened.</p><p>“I’m not only a son of Apollo,” he said, “I am also of Hermes’ blood.”</p><p>He said the name with such reverence that Yixing could not help but wonder what Hermes had done for him that Apollo had not.</p><p>“On your mother’s side.” Hades inclined his head, tossing a pomegranate that Yixing had not noticed into the air and catching it. “What is your wish then, child of Hermes and Apollo?”</p><p>Baekhyun tilted his chin up, jaw twitching.</p><p>“I wish to turn back time,” he said.</p><p>The audacity shocked Yixing to the core.</p><p>Baekhyun’s wish could render his own and Chanyeol’s useless. But it could also mean that he would never have need of the wish at all.</p><p>Jongin could never fall ill, never leave his side. They could have never met Kyungsoo and Yixing’s company could never fail. Forever could be his to hold, if he could change the events of the past.</p><p>Hades raised his eyebrows, throwing the pomegranate into the air once more.</p><p>“I cannot grant you all power over time. But I can give you one chance,” he said, catching the red fruit in his palm.</p><p>“One chance to reverse time, Byun Baekhyun. Use it well. Now leave.”</p><p>The air almost seemed colder when they left Hades’ palace behind, as if the mist was chastising them.</p><p>Yixing wondered if he had made the wrong wish, if he should have let Baekhyun make his wish first. His heart beat quicker just at the very thought of having Jongin back with him. Alive and whole.</p><p>“We have to go back to the Styx,” Chanyeol said.</p><p>He was very stoically not meeting Yixing’s gaze.</p><p>“Charon will take us back to the mortal world after you pull Jongin out.”</p><p>“If he pulls Jongin out,” Baekhyun added, his lips twisting. “Not that it matters. If the Fates wove your life threads together, you would meet again after I turn back time.”</p><p>Yixing glowered, fingering Katropis’ hilt.</p><p>“What did you mean you had a wrong to right?” he asked instead, directing the question at Chanyeol, who looked even more uncomfortable. “What did you do to me that I did not know about?”</p><p>“Not what I did,” Chanyeol mumbled, his voice almost disappearing in the vastness of the underworld. “What Sehun did.”</p><p>Yixing shrugged his shoulders, cursing when he stepped on a loose rock, nearly turning his ankle. He righted himself, kicking the stone away.</p><p>“So what did Sehun do?” he asked, hugging his coat closer to his body when a cold wind blew by.</p><p>It carried with it the sound of souls screaming, from the very depths of Tartarus, causing shivers down his spine. He was briefly reminded of the sound Kyungsoo made as he died, a low moan of despair.</p><p>“He cheated you,” Chanyeol said, fixing his gaze on the ground.</p><p>Perhaps it was due to his godly parentage that he did not trip over the massive amounts of loose rock on the path through the Asphodel Fields. He did not even seem to be paying any attention to the path they walked at all.</p><p>“How?” Yixing pressed, anger surging through his chest.</p><p>It had been a long time since he had felt anything but sorrow. The fury burned hot in his veins as Chanyeol explained, never once bringing his gaze up to look at him.</p><p>How Sehun had forged papers and signatures, embezzled money and lied about the income of the ships. How he was the reason Yixing’s company fell, how he was the reason Yixing could not fund Jongin’s doctor visits, bought the medicines that could have cured him. </p><p>“I know it won’t bring him back,” Chanyeol said, the rush of the River Styx drowning his words. “But I hope it helps, even a little bit.”</p><p>He looked away, shame coating his every word.</p><p>Yixing looked away too, to conceal his anger. His hand began to itch again as they approached the black sand banks that framed the river. White foam tossed against the rocks, the river a churning, howling beast.</p><p>“Why is it so rough?” Baekhyun called over the roar. “It wasn’t like this when we left it.”</p><p>Yixing surveyed the waters, letting his anger, his desperation pour out. He called for Jongin, searching for him as the waters rose higher, splashing against the sand. The sand sizzled, like the water was acid, sending putrid smoke into the air.</p><p>“He did say the River Styx? Not the River Lethe?” Chanyeol asked, eyeing the sizzling rocks. He hung back, toeing at the mud beneath the rocks. “Lethe would make more sense.”</p><p>Yixing tiptoed forward, the tips of his boots brushing against the edge of the water. He inhaled, breath rattling through his lungs.</p><p>Souls congealed at the edge of the riverbank, like a whirlpool. They were shadows in the murky water, barely visible through the white foam. Something splashed hard against the bank and Yixing startled, staggering back before the water could hit him.</p><p>He scanned the water, heart sinking in his chest.</p><p>There was no Jongin to be seen, only the souls thrashing for space beneath the water surface. They called to him, like a siren’s song, begging for him to take one step closer, to pull them out.</p><p>The waves rose higher, white foam swirling in the midst of the dark river and the souls screamed as one.</p><p>Yixing trembled at the edge.</p><p>“Jongin?”</p><p>A wave rose up in the Styx and he heard Chanyeol cry out in amazement. His feet squished over the marsh and he cried out Jongin’s name again, heart pounding in his chest as the wave rose higher and higher, a dark figure forming in the midst of the swirling water.</p><p>“Jongin!”</p><p>Yixing caught his breath when the shape congealed.</p><p>Tears blurred Yixing’s visions when the figure reached out its hand, brown skin emerging out of black water. He reached out too, sucking in a sharp breath when the world turned upside down.</p><p>The sound of breathing made him jolt awake.</p><p>He turned over, gasping and grasping at the bedsheets. The sheets were coarse and rough, nothing like the silk he was used to when they lived in the city.</p><p>Jongin lay beside him, so quiet that he could have been mistaken for a corpse.</p><p>Yixing ran his fingers through Jongin’s sweat damp hair, bending to press a kiss against his forehead. His lips stuck briefly to the skin, it was so clammy. Jongin sighed in his sleep, as if he had felt the kiss, lips ticking up.</p><p>He turned over onto his side, a tiny shiver running through him. Yixing pulled the covers higher, tucking them over Jongin’s shoulder before reaching over for the towel sitting in the bowl of ice.</p><p>It was so cold that it hurt, burning his fingers. But the fabric warmed quickly against Jongin’s too hot skin, turning lukewarm almost as soon as it touched his forehead.</p><p>Jongin murmured something almost incoherent when Yixing rose to refill the pot of hot water, stretching from under the covers to make grabby hands in his direction.</p><p>“Stay,” he croaked.</p><p>Yixing froze, sitting back down to stroke his hair. Jongin’s face twisted and he huddled down under the covers again, leaving one hand splayed on the blankets.</p><p>His hand was damp when Yixing picked it up, clutching it between his own and far too cold to be reassuring.</p><p>“I’m here,” he whispered when Jongin groaned, sounding like a bear that had lost its breath.</p><p>Wind blew in from the open windows, bringing the scent of the sea with it. Jongin had insisted upon it, when he got sick. He said that the sea breeze made him feel stronger, even when the sickness dragged him under.</p><p>The sun shone in, lighting over Jongin’s face. His tanned colouring had gone pale, the life sucked out of it.</p><p>A cold fist gripped Yixing’s heart as he watched Jongin’s chest heave with every breath. He breathed as if it pained him, as if every moment spent alive hurt.</p><p>Yixing should have let him go weeks ago, when the doctor said there was no hope.</p><p>But how could he?</p><p>Jongin made <em>him</em> feel alive. He was his world and if he lost him, he would have no reason to go on living at all.</p><p>So he uprooted their life in the city, walking away from everything they had ever known to settle on the beach. He built Jongin a little glass house, from which he could see the sea and smell the salt in the air.</p><p>Jongin put up with it willingly, no matter how much he hurt inside.</p><p>Yixing shook himself, thumbing over Jongin’s cheek. He would get better, he told himself. He <em>had </em>to.</p><p>“What did you see?”</p><p>A hand on his shoulder snapped him out. He blinked hard, wetness alerting him to the tears on his face, the hand he held out frozen mid motion as if he was touching a face long gone.</p><p>Baekhyun’s face swam before him, the last shreds of his memories dissipating completely. Yixing clenched his fingers into a fist, pulling it back against himself as if he had been stabbed.</p><p>“Jongin.” His voice cracked on the name and he cleared his throat, swallowing hard. “Jongin.”</p><p>“He’s here?”</p><p>Yixing turned from Baekhyun, almost in a trance.</p><p>The river rushed past them, a roaring mass of water and power. It battered on the banks, sending white foam splashing into the air.</p><p>Instead of answering, he reached <em>into </em>the water, where a brown hand still grasped. His fingers closed around skin so cold it could have been ice and he <em>pulled.</em></p><p>Jongin came out of the water like a merman rising from the sea. He dripped Styx water everywhere, still clothed in the clothes that he had been wearing when he died.</p><p>Yixing wept, ignoring the way the water burned as he yanked Jongin into his arms, burying his face into the crook of his neck.</p><p>“Jongin,” he gasped, pressing kisses over Jongin’s bare skin. “I’ve missed you so.”</p><p>Jongin moved like a clockwork figure, hands resting on his waist and his touch <em>burned. </em>It was both hot and cold all at once, searing through his clothes and into skin.</p><p>Yixing prayed to every god that he could remember as he cupped Jongin’s face, sealing their lips together in a kiss that scorched his skin.</p><p>Quite literally.</p><p>Tears streaked down his face when he tasted the river water on Jongin’s lips. It was like acid, eating away at him until he pulled away.</p><p>“Jongin,” he breathed and like a marionette, Jongin bowed his head to look at him.</p><p>A fist of cold fear gripped Yixing’s heart as he gazed at him, the love of his life.</p><p>There was no recognition in Jongin’s eyes, only hollow nothingness. He was like a shell, a ghost of himself. Even as he held him, his skin was warming, turning to human temperature but his eyes held nothing.</p><p>Hades’ words came back to Yixing as he gazed at his lover, who was completely devoid of emotion.</p><p>
  <em>If your love is enough, it will ground him.</em>
</p><p>What if his love was not enough? <em>Why</em> was it not enough?</p><p>Yixing’s hand shook when he cupped Jongin’s cheek again, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. Jongin looked exactly the same, before he got sick. He looked healthy, the hollows around his cheeks filled in, his skin warm and tan even in the dim underworld.</p><p>He should be happy; his world was whole again.</p><p>But Yixing only felt an even greater ache in his chest.</p><p>His Jongin was not the same. He was not whole, not himself and even as he touched him, a thread of regret began to burrow itself into him.</p><p>He remembered the way the lines around Jongin’s face smoothed, the pain fading from him when he took his last breath.</p><p>Had it been a mistake?</p><p><em>“I’m sorry, hyung.”</em> Even in his last moments, Jongin had been sweet and kind and guilty that he was leaving Yixing behind.</p><p>He had never been afraid of death. Not like Yixing was.</p><p>A hand closed around his wrist and Yixing startled, looking up to see Jongin looking down at him. His eyes were focusing again, recognition showing in his gaze.</p><p>Yixing’s heart leapt. He thumbed over Jongin’s cheekbone as his lips parted, a grumbling noise escaping as he tried to form words.</p><p>“Easy,” he murmured, “I’m here. Take your time.”</p><p>After all, they had all the time in the world now<em>.</em></p><p>Jongin shifted when he tried to hold him, blinking rapidly as if he was trying to rid his eyes of something. He raised his hand, touching Yixing’s cheek with such tenderness that Yixing’s heart swelled.</p><p>Jongin was <em>back-.</em></p><p>“Soo?” Jongin croaked.</p><p>Yixing’s blood chilled.</p><p>“No. I’m Yixing,” he said, the little candle of hope going out. Guilt mingled with fury was a hot wave that crashed through him, like the waves of the River Styx at the sound of the name.</p><p>Jongin shook his head, blinking so quickly that his lashes were a blur of black. He still looked so lost, like a little sheep.</p><p>“Kyungsoo,” he persisted, looking down at Yixing’s hand. “I saw Soo.”</p><p>Yixing sucked in a sharp breath, shaking his head.</p><p>“You couldn’t have.”</p><p>“He might have,” Chanyeol cut in.</p><p>His sword was drawn, the Stygian iron seeming to suck light from the world and he glared at Jongin like he was the devil’s incarnate.</p><p>“If you killed Kyungsoo and he ended up in the Styx.”</p><p>Yixing recoiled, dropping Jongin’s hand.</p><p>“Why would- why would my Jongin be in the Styx? Why not the Asphodel Fields-…”</p><p>His words trailed off, Hades’ words ringing in his ears, this time like a church bell.</p><p>He had pulled Jongin out of the River Styx. The River Styx was for damned souls. How could his Jongin be damned when he had done nothing wrong in his life?</p><p>Yixing yanked Katropis out of his pocket, heart twisting when Jongin stared right back at him, an expression that could only be guilt slowly materialising on his face.</p><p>A hot flush crawled over Yixing’s face when Chanyeol’s expression changed to one of realization and then pity.</p><p>Even Baekhyun could not seem to find any dark humour at the situation.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>If</em>
  </strong>
  <em> your love is enough.</em>
</p><p>Yixing squeezed his eyes shut, a dagger of pain plunging into his chest as Kyungsoo’s hungry eyes flashed before him. The way he dragged his gaze down Jongin’s back.</p><p>He saw himself and Jongin, curled up in bed together with nothing on and Kyungsoo appearing in the doorway to summon them for breakfast. How Jongin laughed at the way Kyungsoo’s face turned beet red.</p><p>How his last words to Yixing had been tinged with regret.</p><p>He stared back into Jongin’s eyes, hands shaking when Jongin reached for him.</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>He was standing in the doorway of their room, watching the moon spill rays over Jongin’s golden skin. His fingers curled against the wood when Jongin stretched, his back muscles flexing.</p><p>His expression was pained, pining and it made his heart ache to see him so.</p><p>The floorboards creaked when he stepped inside, Jongin barely twitching until he wrapped his arms around his middle. He had to be cautious, had to not scare him away.</p><p>Jongin’s skin was soft against his lips when he kissed his shoulder, splaying his hands around his bare waist. There was little to no resistance when he turned him around, cupping his cheek.</p><p>He smelled like spices, like the ones the merchants sold and it was intoxicating to be so close.</p><p>Jongin lowered his head, lashes fanned out on his cheeks in the dim light and he leaned up to kiss him.</p><p>Only to be pushed away.</p><p>“Soo.”</p><p>“He doesn’t have to know.”</p><p>The voice that came out of him was not his own. Yixing bit back a scream when he raised his hand, tucking a lock of stray hair behind Jongin’s ear.</p><p>It was not his own hand.</p><p>Just the mere sight of Jongin’s twisted lips made his stomach churn. He was in someone else’s body, he was in <em>Kyungsoo’s </em>body.</p><p>“He loves me,” Jongin murmured, brows furrowing.</p><p>Even frowning, he was beautiful. A soft breeze swept in through the window, ruffling his dark hair and he pushed a hand through those locks carelessly, completely unaware of how it made his heart leap.</p><p>“So do I,” Kyungsoo said, “it is only my bad luck that I came second.”</p><p>A beat of silence followed. The moonlight illuminated Jongin’s face and the array of emotions flitting across it in its radiance. His golden skin was tinged with silver, those lips that Kyungsoo had longed to kiss twisting as he warred with himself.</p><p>“Just this once,” Jongin said, barely above a whisper, “and Yixing must never know.”</p><p>“He won’t,” Kyungsoo murmured when he was kissed, the words a secret against Jongin’s lips. “It’ll be our secret.”</p><p>Yixing screamed, the sound echoing through the air as Jongin staggered back, clutching his cheek. His hand stung, aching from the impact. He tasted salt on his tongue, tears carving tracks on his face.</p><p>His love had never been enough.</p><p>-</p><p>Chanyeol wished he knew what to say.</p><p>From the moment Yixing had been told to pull Jongin out of the River, he had already had a sneaking suspicion. After all, even Hades had tried to dissuade him and Hades cared nothing for love of the mortal kind.</p><p>Yixing’s grief was blinding, heart wrenching to watch. It came as no surprise to Chanyeol that Jongin’s betrayal would cut so deep. His love for the man had known no bounds.</p><p>“I was such a fool,” Yixing whispered, his hand trembling as he raised them again.</p><p>Jongin stared back at him, real fear reflecting in his eyes when Yixing advanced on him. Yixing caught him by the collar, raw grief written all over his face as he raised Katropis, the mirrored blade flashing in the dim light.</p><p>“I gave you <em>everything</em>,” he whispered when Jongin cringed, Katropis held aloft. The point of the dagger had never looked so sharp, Yixing’s knuckles white around its hilt.</p><p>“I <em>loved </em>you.”</p><p>For a moment, it looked as if Yixing might kill him. Chanyeol would not have objected. He exchanged glances with Baekhyun, who stood farther back, eyeing Jongin as if he was something he might squish under his shoe.</p><p>But Yixing’s heart was too soft. He had always been too soft.</p><p>Chanyeol watched as Katropis fell from his hand, Kyungsoo’s face flashing on the mirrored blade before sinking into the Stygian marsh. Yixing let go of Jongin, letting the man/soul collapse onto the mud and rocks.</p><p>He trembled where he stood, rage and grief radiating from every pore of his body.</p><p>“You- killed Soo?”</p><p>A wounded look flashed across Jongin’s face as he pushed the words out with difficulty.</p><p>“For you,” Yixing said, every word drenched with despair. “I killed him <em>for you</em>.”</p><p>The silence that followed was filled only by the rushing of the River Styx, the battering of waves against black marshy shore. The world stopped turning as they all waited with bated breath to see what Jongin would do.</p><p>Jongin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, pulling his hand away from his cheek. He rose to his feet slowly, as if Yixing was a wild animal he did not wish to frighten.</p><p>The grief carved itself into his face as he reached out, trembling hands curving around Yixing’s shoulders. Yixing let him touch, his shoulders shaking as Jongin drew him in, burying his face into the crook of his neck.</p><p>“I know why you did it,” Jongin whispered, the words nearly swallowed by the rushing waves. “But you shouldn’t have brought me back.”</p><p>Chanyeol turned his head away, picking his way across the rocks to stand next to Baekhyun.</p><p>“Think Yixing will take him with us now?” Baekhyun asked. There was no more mocking in his tone. He was oddly quiet, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he watched Yixing collapse, breaking into Jongin’s arms.</p><p>“I think so,” Chanyeol answered.</p><p>His hand brushed against Baekhyun’s and an electric shock startled him.</p><p>Baekhyun drifted away, tucking the hand that had touched Chanyeol into his pocket.</p><p>“We should get going,” he said stiffly.</p><p>But neither of them made a move to hurry Yixing, as they watched him cry a river into Jongin’s shoulder. They all knew what loss felt like, the moment life ended beneath their fingertips.</p><p>Chanyeol shuddered, the memory of Sehun going still under his hands surfacing. He had forced it down for the entire trip, convincing himself that it was just.</p><p>He remembered kneeling by the body, white gloves in hand, feeling like a part of his soul had been damaged irreparably.</p><p>Yixing trailed his hands through Jongin’s hair, threading fingers through the strands. The gesture was so fond, so intimate that it made Chanyeol look away.</p><p>He turned instead to look at Baekhyun, whose gaze was set on the distant horizon, where grey mist gathered. His eyes reflected the bleakness of their landscape, having turned a stormy grey.</p><p>Perhaps in another life, he would have been the one to meet Baekhyun, to win his heart like Kim Jongdae had.</p><p>But in this lifetime, he would have to be content just standing by, yearning for someone he could not even hope to have.</p><p>After what seemed like hours, Yixing pulled away from Jongin. His hands still shook when he cupped his cheek, sealing their lips together in a kiss so passionate it punched Chanyeol in the gut.</p><p>“Hyung,” Jongin whispered, his words carrying as the River Styx settled, its massive waves sinking until there was nothing but a flat expanse of black. Even the souls were quiet. “I need you to keep on living. For me. And for Soo.”</p><p>Yixing choked out a bitter laugh, his arms looping around Jongin’s neck. Jongin thumbed over the slash in Yixing’s cheek, the mark that would help Tisiphone find him when he was dead. The mark of a murderer.</p><p>Yixing flinched only the littlest bit, his eyes screwing shut when Jongin leaned down.</p><p>He kissed him again, this time so hungry and desperate that Chanyeol averted his eyes again. He thought he heard Baekhyun scoff but then Yixing was walking across the marsh towards them.</p><p>His face was the picture of heartbreak as he dug Katropis out of the mud, black streaking across his skin.</p><p>“Let’s go.” His voice cracked and Chanyeol could not help the way his heart broke for him.</p><p>Yixing only glanced back once, as they made their way towards Charon’s boat, to see Jongin standing at the edge of the River Styx, watching them leave.</p><p>Charon’s boat rocked when they stepped aboard, Chanyeol steadying Yixing against him. He let him flop onto the bottom of the boat, moving to sit beside him.</p><p>There were no words that he could offer, no comfort.</p><p>Yixing was all alone now and if the way he held Jongin was any indication, he would never love again.</p><p>Unlike them, Baekhyun remained standing. He stood at the bow of the gondola, eyes fixed on the horizon. His brows were furrowed and Chanyeol longed to press his thumbs between them to smooth out the frown.</p><p>But he restrained himself.</p><p>There was nothing he could do for either of them and the best thing to do when they arrived at the surface would be to never meet again.</p><p>Gods’ children should never mingle, for their ends were always tragic.</p><p>He chanced a glance in Yixing’s direction once more, his heart wrenching once more at the broken, forlorn shape of a man.</p><p>-</p><p>To say he was glad to leave the Underworld behind would be an understatement.</p><p>As the mist drifted past, black rock slowly turning to white cliffs, a sense of relief followed it. The river water turned from a churning grey mass to blue, first the deep dark blue of the ocean and then the blue of the sky, reflected in its surface.</p><p>There was a salty tang in the air, one that Baekhyun relished. He leaned against the railings of the ship, stroking his hands over the gilded gold.</p><p>With the wish in hand, he felt rich, so rich that the gondola had turned into a ship for him. The planks beneath his feet were expensive, the railings plated in gold.</p><p>White foam splashed against the bottom of the ship as they cut through the swell of the waves, a dolphin leaping out of the water in an arc.</p><p>Baekhyun watched it leap again, riding the waves that formed when the water broke against the ship. It chattered at him playfully, ducking under the water to speed away.</p><p>The city was wreathed in golden sunlight, almost glowing as they approached. Salt water sprayed against his face in a fine mist, the wind picking up speed.</p><p>“Home sweet home.” Chanyeol came up behind him, staring out as the city drew nearer and nearer.</p><p>“Not home for me,” Baekhyun said. “After this- wish. I’m going to go home.”</p><p>Chanyeol looked at him, his gaze heavy.</p><p>“To the place where I was born,” Baekhyun answered his unasked question. “To Seoul. Greece has never been home.”</p><p>Chanyeol chuckled, a deep honeyed sound that rang pleasantly in his ears.</p><p>“Maybe I’d join you,” he said, his tone wistful, “the business world is getting too much for me.”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked.</p><p>As far as he knew, Chanyeol had been born in Greece. He never paid much attention when Jongdae went on and on about the high born society.</p><p>They were the ones that brought his Jongdae to ruin, not him but yet, he was the one who would give up everything to fix it. He hated them, for their privilege that they would never see, for their stupid rules that had forced his beloved out of the lands of his family.</p><p>His heart ached at the thought of seeing Jongdae again, fingers curling into a fist over the railings as the ship docked.</p><p>The wind blew through his hair, chilly and he tugged his coat closer around himself.</p><p>“Good luck,” Chanyeol said as they walked down the plank together, Yixing stoically following behind. “Perhaps in another time, Byun Baekhyun…”</p><p>His sentence trailed off, hanging in the air as he strode right off the gangplank and onto land, vanishing into the crowds that passed them by. No one saw the ship, nor noticed the three demigods that mingled amongst them.</p><p>Baekhyun collected himself, unsure why Chanyeol made him so unsettled. He nodded when Yixing touched his elbow, reaching out in a rare show of affection to clasp his wrist.</p><p>“You take care, alright?”</p><p>Yixing gave him a wan smile and Baekhyun watched him leave, melding into the cityscape like he belonged there.</p><p>He turned on his heel, cutting straight through the port. It reeked of fish and the salt air of the sea, reminding him of the times where Jongdae and him had been happier.</p><p>They needed nothing more than each other.</p><p>But Jongdae never had to tell him how much he missed his family home, the home that Yixing moved into and then later sold, to Chanyeol and Sehun.</p><p>Baekhyun could tell, from the way he talked about it, the golden sand beach that stretched behind the house, the cerulean waves that he had played in when he was a child.</p><p>Jongdae would get it back. Even if it was the last thing Baekhyun had to do.</p><p>The city bustled all around him, the sounds of horse hooves clip clopping down the pavement and the smoke from the city’s steam system hissing through the air.</p><p>His boots made clicking noises as he strolled down the concrete, raising a hand to stop a carriage.</p><p>Two gold coins and a ten minute ride later, they were out of the city, horse hooves thudding on a beaten down track. The wind carried with it the smell of peonies and honeysuckle as he rode down the lane in silence, surveying the wide open fields they passed.</p><p>A sense of dread crept over him the nearer they drew to a beaten down stone cottage, green vines climbing all over the walls. The vines were out of control, pink roses spreading a sickly sweet fragrance in the air.</p><p>Baekhyun dropped another coin into the driver’s hand, thanking him with a nod. He waited until the carriage had gone around the first bend before walking up to the door.</p><p>His heart pounded so loudly in his ears that it was all he could hear as he closed his hand around the door knob.</p><p>It was sticky, jamming when he tried to turn it and left streaks of rust on his hand when he finally shoved the door open.</p><p>Something slammed hard inside, rattling another door and Baekhyun winced.</p><p>He traced his steps down to the wine cellar, hands trembling when he touched the solid wood bar. It was bent in places, the wood almost giving way.</p><p>Splinters dug into his flesh when he lifted it, cringing when the door shuddered.</p><p>“You <em>fucker</em>.”</p><p>He leapt aside, dodging the blur of a man. A fist caught his cheek before he could run, pain exploding through his nerves.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” Baekhyun closed his fingers around Jongdae’s wrist, biting down hard on his lips when he finally got a good look at his lover. “I’m <em>sorry.</em>”</p><p>Jongdae seethed, his hair wild. He had stubble on his chin and from what Baekhyun could see, bruises spreading out from where he must have slammed his body against the door one too many times.</p><p>“You tried to <em>kill</em> me,” Jongdae snarled, thrashing when Baekhyun caught his other wrist. “For a fucking <em>wish</em>.”</p><p>Baekhyun shoved him hard, pain punching him in the gut when Jongdae struck against the stone wall with a yelp.</p><p>“It was for you,” he panted, leaning his weight into Jongdae’s wrists. “I did it for you.”</p><p>“No, you didn’t,” Jongdae snarled again, yanking against Baekhyun’s hold. “You selfish-.”</p><p>There were tears streaking through the dirt on his face and Baekhyun tasted them when he kissed him, hungry and desperate.</p><p>He cursed when teeth cut through his lip, metallic blood filling his mouth.</p><p>“I’m going to turn back time,” he whispered, wiping his mouth.</p><p>A streak of red trailed over the back of his hand, the smell of blood turning his stomach.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I’m going to turn back time and make sure we never meet,” Baekhyun said, surer this time.</p><p>Jongdae’s expression twisted and he recoiled.</p><p>“Was that your wish?”</p><p>“It would have been yours,” Baekhyun whispered, “if you didn’t love me, you wouldn’t have lost everything that you cared about.”</p><p>“No-.”</p><p>“You won’t remember me.” He cut him off, determined to finish. If he stopped, he was not sure he would have the willpower to make the wish. “You’ll find someone else, someone <em>appropriate</em>.”</p><p>“Baekhyun, <em>no</em>.” Jongdae’s fingers closed around his wrists, pulling them up to his chest.</p><p>Baekhyun shook his head, yanking his hands away. He backed up the stairs, nearly tripping. There was blood in his mouth and tears and the look on Jongdae’s face was enough to twist the knife deeper.</p><p>He took one last look, one <em>good</em> look before everything around him went white.</p><p>-</p><p>Yixing drifted through the party goers, his eyes looking straight through every person who passed him by. He was not sure who he was looking for, only that he would know him by sight.</p><p>His fingers closed around the stem of a wineglass and he thanked the server with a nod, not tasting the sip he took.</p><p>Determination filled his chest when the clock chimed again. An hour to the end. He had an hour to find him.</p><p>Somehow, he knew that if he left this party without him, he would never find him again.</p><p>Someone greeted him and he turned to respond, his tongue heavy in his mouth. The whole world felt like a dream, with people constantly moving, shifting in jewel toned dresses and suits.</p><p>“Yixing?”</p><p>His heart stopped.</p><p>“Soo?” he croaked, hand flying to his pocket.</p><p>Katropis pressed against his sternum, solid and comforting. It was right where he had hidden it when he left for this party.</p><p>Kyungsoo smiled brightly back at him, jerking his head in the direction of the balcony. His smile was tinged with falseness that Yixing could recognise now and his stomach turned at the memory of what he saw, what he experienced in the underworld.</p><p>“Jongin’s over there if you’re looking.”</p><p>Yixing exhaled, his heart leaping.</p><p>“Jongin? He’s here?”</p><p>Kyungsoo blinked, brows furrowing.</p><p>“Yes. He came with you. God knows what he would be doing if he didn’t come. Are you okay?”</p><p>Yixing rubbed a hand over Katropis, blowing out a breath. He shook his head hard, as if trying to shake off a memory or a ghost before smiling.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine.”</p><p>“Have some more wine,” Kyungsoo said, holding out a glass.</p><p>Yixing took it absently, gulping the whole thing. The liquid burned when it went down, the taste of grapes lingering on his tongue. Shuddering, he dropped the glass onto a waiter’s tray and set off, Kyungsoo following close behind.</p><p>He briefly wondered where Baekhyun had landed, why had he turned the clock back to this very moment but the thought slipped through his mind when he arrived at the balcony and laid eyes upon the man leaning against the banister.</p><p>“Jongin?” he breathed.</p><p>Moonlight lit upon Jongin’s dark hair, bathing him in its radiance. It reflected off the jewels he wore, cast dancing shadows over his suit. He turned, lips curving into a smile that took Yixing’s breath away.</p><p>“Jongin!”</p><p>Yixing tripped, his breath catching in his throat but Jongin only laughed, hands encircling his waist. They were warm, solid and <em>real, </em>the touch burning through his clothing.</p><p>“Woah,” Jongin murmured when he braced his hands against his chest, relief flooding him at the pulse of his steadily beating heart. “I’ve only been gone for maybe twenty minutes.”</p><p>Yixing cupped his cheeks, fingers threading through the soft strands of his hair. He yanked him down, Jongin gasping from the force of the kiss.</p><p>“I missed you,” he whispered against his lips, tilting his head up to kiss him again, revelling in the puffs of air that Jongin breathed out. “I’ve missed you so.”</p><p>Jongin laughed again, rubbing their noses together in a gesture that made Yixing’s heart swell two sizes too big. He pulled away, leaving his hands on Yixing’s hips.</p><p>“As did I,” he said, thumbing over Yixing’s cheekbone.</p><p>“Shall we dance?”</p><p>Yixing nodded, kissing Jongin’s thumb before he pulled away, tangling their fingers together with a beguiling smile.</p><p>His heart thumped in his chest, Kyungsoo’s eyes burning in his back as Jongin led him away, back towards the ballroom.</p><p>The music swelled as Jongin wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close until they were toe to toe. He tilted his head back, his eyes following the curve of Jongin’s nose, his lips and down his throat.</p><p>“You’re staring,” Jongin whispered. They swayed slowly, Jongin’s hand settled against his waist, his other hand entwined with Yixing’s.</p><p>“Aren’t I always?” Yixing whispered back, loosening one hand to cup Jongin’s cheek.</p><p>Jongin laughed again, his cheeks flushing. He leaned down, ignoring all the looks around them to seal their lips together.</p><p>Yixing could almost forget where those lips had been, the night he sailed away to Paris. His heart throbbed when he opened his eyes to see Jongin’s smile, so sweet and pure.</p><p>Still, the memory haunted him. He was sharp to Kyungsoo, cold to Jongin sometimes in a way that he had not been before.</p><p>“Why’d you yell at him?” Jongin asked one day, after Kyungsoo had brought them, well him, food from the city.</p><p>Food for Jongin and a contract for Yixing. A contract that made his blood chill.</p><p>The name <em>Oh</em> on the paper sent ice through his veins.</p><p>Yixing resisted the shockwave of anger that exploded through him, pushing the contract away. Kyungsoo tried to push, to explain that it would be a solid partnership but it was like he had flipped a switch.</p><p>He gazed at Jongin, the image of him dripping wet, skin grey from the River Styx filling his mind.</p><p>“Hyung?”</p><p>His hand shook when he cupped Jongin’s cheek, kissing him sweetly.</p><p>“Never you mind,” he said lowly, encircling Jongin’s wrists. He yanked him forward and Jongin followed willingly. “Let’s go to bed.”</p><p>Jongin laughed, though his brow still furrowed.</p><p>Yixing pressed his thumb in between his brows and kissed him again, a low groan slipping out when Jongin deepened it.</p><p>A hand grasped at his hip, fingers scrabbling at the waistband of his trousers and he was gone.</p><p>The world faded away as they peeled off each other’s clothes, crawling into bed with the joy and fervour of new lovers. There was nothing else that mattered save for Jongin’s lips, Jongin’s skin on his.</p><p>“Which way do you want it, hyung?” Jongin whispered, hand burning a trail down Yixing’s arm. His lips quirked up and Yixing moaned when he dropped his head, plush lips burning against his bare thighs.</p><p>“Any way <em>you</em> want it, my heart,” he gasped, fingers threading into Jongin’s dark hair.</p><p>“So generous,” Jongin purred. He lowered his head and the night turned into a blur of moans and sweat and skin.</p><p>Yixing buried his face into the crook of Jongin’s neck when he rolled over, skin sticky with sweat. He kissed him tenderly, scraping teeth over the purpling bruise on golden skin and Jongin groaned, batting at him.</p><p>“Enough. You’re insatiable,” he grumbled, turning his head to gaze at him with such fondness that Yixing’s heart twisted.</p><p>Instead of answering, Yixing kissed him again, sweet and chaste, lest it turn into one more round.</p><p>Jongin mirrored him, tucking his head against Yixing’s shoulder. He seemed half asleep already when Yixing pulled the sheets over them both, kissing his nose.</p><p>“I love you,” Yixing murmured.</p><p>Jongin blinked one eye open, lips curling into a sweet sleepy smile.</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>He leaned forward, sealing their lips together again.</p><p>While Jongin slept, Yixing watched him. His mind was too distracted to sleep well so instead, he watched the way moonlight fell over Jongin’s golden skin, illuminating the marks that claimed him as <em>his</em>.</p><p>A horribly possessive snake welled up in his throat when a memory flashed through his head, a memory that was not quite his. Heart shaped lips kissed over Jongin’s shoulder, tasting salt. Jongin’s back bowed in an arch as pleasure pumped through his veins.</p><p>His fingers found Katropis under the pillow and he turned over, holding the blade up in the moonlight. His breaths came too fast, sweat beading at his hairline. Even his heart seemed to disagree with him, beating so quickly that it was hard to breathe.</p><p>Eventually, sleep claimed him, though it was far from restful.</p><p>Perhaps even Jongin sensed something was not right the next morning, when Kyungsoo came to call them to breakfast, for he would not leave Yixing’s side.</p><p>He sat in Yixing’s lap instead of his own chair, demanding to be fed. Every time he looked across the table at Kyungsoo, his expression cracked for the briefest moment.</p><p>Yixing smoothed a hand over Jongin’s shoulder, revelling in the smooth skin underneath.</p><p>It was cruel of him, he knew, but he could not help but pull down Jongin’s sleeve, burying his head into his shoulder. The motion exposed the marks he had made, large purple bruises that marked Jongin’s skin.</p><p>Kyungsoo’s fork stuttered when he did so, his mouth twisting before he stabbed his sausage far too hard.</p><p>“I think Xing hyung has been working too hard,” Jongin cooed, his lips pressing against Yixing’s forehead.</p><p>Yixing hummed, curling a hand around his wrist. He brought Jongin’s hand to his heart, tucking his head into the crook of his neck.</p><p>“Hyung. Hyung!”</p><p>He did not know he had fallen asleep until Jongin’s panicked cries woke him up.</p><p>“I’m here,” he murmured blearily, raising his head.</p><p>Jongin’s eyes were wide with shock as he caressed his cheek, his touch feather light, as if Yixing were a porcelain doll.</p><p>“You were out for a while,” he said, kissing his nose. “I couldn’t wake you.”</p><p>“I’m just tired,” Yixing answered, sitting straighter.</p><p>Kyungsoo’s gaze burned into him as he reached around Jongin to pick up his wine glass, draining it in one gulp.</p><p>“Maybe you should stop going on so many trips,” Jongin said. “I always miss you when you do.”</p><p>Yixing choked, swallowing the wine hurriedly before he spat it all over his partner.</p><p>“I won’t be going anytime soon, my love,” he murmured, chuckling when Jongin kissed him, fingers threading through his hair.</p><p>Jongin gazed down at him, with so much love and sweetness that it was almost enough. Almost.</p><p>It was the image he held in his mind when he collapsed into his bed, his heart two sizes too big. The pain ripped through him, like someone had driven a screwdriver into his chest. His blood was too hot, like lava in his veins.</p><p>He coughed and his mouth filled with hot blood, spattering all over the bedsheets.</p><p>“Hyung, hyung! Stay with me.”</p><p>Jongin was calling to him, holding him. But he could not feel him anymore. Yixing grasped onto Jongin’s shoulders with shaking hands, coughing crimson all over his bare chest. He wrapped a hand around the back of Jongin’s head, tilting his head down desperately.</p><p>“Soo! Get a-.”</p><p>“It’s- okay,” Yixing gasped, pressing his thumb over Jongin’s lips. He laid his head against Jongin’s chest, a wail of pain tearing out of his throat. “He won’t come.”</p><p>Jongin stilled around him.</p><p>“Son of a bitch. He wouldn’t-!”</p><p>“He did.” Yixing choked on another mouthful of blood, shuddering violently. He retched but Jongin only held him closer, the steady beating of his heart comforting.</p><p>“I’ll kill him,” Jongin whispered, “I’ll kill him for you.”</p><p>Yixing laughed, blood splattering onto Jongin’s shoulder. He clung onto him like a lifeline, even as the poison ate through him, burning like acid through his veins.</p><p>“No, my heart,” he breathed, cutting himself off when tremors wracked his body. “Run.”</p><p>“Flee so that he may never find you.”</p><p>Jongin kissed him then, tasting like wine and roses and all that was good in the world. Yixing’s heart settled as he tangled his fingers into Jongin’s hair, gasping for breath.</p><p>“Will it give you peace if I do?” Jongin asked against his lips. He laid him down onto the blood spattered bed and when Yixing turned his head, he saw the photo frames lined up on the nightstand.  </p><p>One of them were stained, the one where Kyungsoo stood between them, a red fleck of blood covering his face. The sight made him smile, even as another tremor wracked his body.</p><p>“I forgive you,” he said, trailing his thumb over the curve of Jongin’s cheek.</p><p>And he found that he did. In his heart of hearts, he forgave Jongin, perhaps even forgave Kyungsoo what he did, what he had done. It was foolish to think he would not understand why Kyungsoo did what he did, that he did not know what love could do to people.</p><p>Love was crazy, insane and nothing in the world could ever come close. He should know. He was a child of the goddess of love and he had travelled to the underworld, had dirtied his hands to win back his love.</p><p>Yixing’s hand trembled when pain pierced through him, his hand falling away from Jongin’s face. He wished Jongin would say something, anything other than an apology.</p><p>Jongin’s eyes widened and he kissed him again, hot tears splashing onto Yixing’s face.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he murmured, “I never meant-.”</p><p>“Don’t,” Yixing said. He arched off the bed, a low moan spilling from his lips and Jongin grabbed for him, holding him close.</p><p>It was close now. The haze of death loomed like mist in the edges of his peripheral vision. Tisiphone’s face snarled at him, his cheek throbbing with phantom pain. The memory of her talon grazing his face carved itself into him.</p><p>But with it, came relief. Relief that Baekhyun had turned back time. In this lifetime, Jongin never died. <em>Kyungsoo</em> never died.</p><p>His hands were unmarked, unsullied by the blood of another.</p><p>It was that knowledge that made Yixing smile, despite the tears gathering in his eyes. He could not lift his hands anymore. The poison had spread too far.</p><p>“Hyung-.”</p><p>“Tell me you love me,” he gasped, blood bubbling in his lungs, in his throat. “Tell me that your love had always been true.”</p><p>Jongin choked out a laugh, Yixing’s heart stuttering when he let go off him long enough to pull out a simple silver band.</p><p>“My love is true,” he whispered.</p><p>And that was enough.</p><p>-</p><p>Baekhyun strolled along the country lane, watching the hunt through the trees. He was careful to keep out of the way, avoiding the path he used to take.</p><p>It would not do for history to repeat itself. Still, he could not stay away.</p><p>The man would not know him now but he still had to see for himself. To see that he had fixed what was wrong with his world. His heart twinged with pain as the horse cantered through the trees, directly into the path that would have caused them to meet. There would be no one there this time.</p><p>The lord’s son would go on to live a long happy life and Baekhyun’s name would never pass his lips.</p><p>Not if he could help it.</p><p>Baekhyun turned from his hunt watching, continuing down his path. He ought to get home, as the sun shed its last rays over the world. The leaves turned golden as he hurried down the dirt path, a soft breeze rustling through the branches.</p><p>His boots crunched on dirt and a bluebird sang to him from the trees.</p><p>Another bird sang back, echoing the song from across the lane and with a fluttering of wings, flew out to meet its mate.</p><p>Baekhyun paused in his footsteps to watch, shaking his head when the birds did a little dance in the air before flying off amongst the trees. He stuck his hands into his pockets, basking in the last rays of golden sunshine.</p><p>“So you avoided him.”</p><p>The voice startled him out of his reverie and he slipped, foot turning on a loose rock. A large hand caught him, steadying him before he could eat the dirt.</p><p>“Why are you here?” Baekhyun asked. But there was no heat to his voice.</p><p>Somehow, it did not surprise him.</p><p>“I thought I needed some fresh air,” Chanyeol said with a smile, “the city was too stifling for me.”</p><p>Baekhyun snorted, kicking at the dirt. Chanyeol looked extremely out of place in the country, with his expensive boots and bright navy blue coat. That coat would get covered in all sorts of things if he wore it out onto the farm.</p><p>“Got a place to stay?” he asked, continuing his walk.</p><p>Chanyeol followed alongside, bumping his shoulder occasionally. He was so tall that Baekhyun had to look up when he spoke, the sun shining through his copper locks.</p><p>“I was hoping I could stay at yours.”</p><p>The words were bold, as expected of someone like Chanyeol but the tone was unsure, almost shy. Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, kicking a rock across the road.</p><p>“What if I say no?” he asked, smirking when the dogs howled up a storm when they approached the gate. Chanyeol flinched as he opened the gate, hinges squeaking loud over the barking.</p><p>“I supposed I’ll be eaten by the dogs then,” he answered, laughing when a massive shepherd came running down the lane, followed closely by two others.</p><p>He bent down to pet them and Baekhyun watched with amusement as he let himself get covered in dog slobber and hair, wondering if he had done the right thing. </p><p>The days dragged past, some of them beautiful and wonderful days filled with Chanyeol’s louder and carefree companionship and the others, Baekhyun awoke with nightmares of Jongdae clawing out his eyes, screaming like a banshee in his ears.</p><p>He could not let him go, felt as if his shadow fell over everything he did even though the Jongdae in that time did not even know his name.</p><p>The wild look in Jongdae’s eyes haunted him and it was one of those nights that he saw them. He stood by the windows of the house, shivering in his thin pyjamas as the chilly air blew in, sinking claws into his bones.</p><p>A creak in the floorboards made him spin, reaching for a sword that was not there. His <em>gladius</em> had been tucked away in the attic, a relic that he would not touch.</p><p>“Why’re you awake?” he asked when he saw Chanyeol standing in the doorway of the living room, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken from sleep.</p><p>“Wanted water.” Chanyeol yawned, “saw you awake.”</p><p>Baekhyun wrapped his arms around himself, unable to stop the tension from seeping into his tone.</p><p>“Go on then,” he snapped when Chanyeol did not move, still standing in the doorway watching him.</p><p>“Why are you up?” Chanyeol asked, ignoring his tone.</p><p>He crossed the room in long strides, coming to a stop beside Baekhyun.</p><p>“It’s cold,” he said, shivering. “You’ll catch your death.”</p><p>Baekhyun shrugged, turning back to the window.</p><p>“Go back to bed,” he said, turning his face to the moon.</p><p>Chanyeol’s gaze burned into the side of his head as the moonlight cascaded over him. He did not wish to look, already knowing what he would find on the other man’s face.</p><p>It was no secret that Chanyeol found him beautiful. That was what drew Jongdae to him in the first place.</p><p>He was no child of Aphrodite but beauty had become a curse, a burden too heavy to bear. Sometimes he wondered how Yixing bore it.</p><p>Something heavy draped around his shoulders and he looked up to see Chanyeol walking away. He grasped at the coat around him, pulling it close.</p><p>It smelled like Chanyeol still somehow, like the city never quite left him. The material was thick, woollen and pilling under his fingertips. He rolled at the little pills of fabric, humming under his breath.</p><p>The warmth leeched into his chest from the coat and despite the sorrow still weighing in his chest, he smiled.</p><p>He was the son of Apollo, yet Chanyeol was the one who brought the warmth into the room. Highly unusual for a child of Hades but Baekhyun appreciated it.</p><p>It made the farm chores easier, knowing he had someone to do them with. Someone who was there on his own accord.</p><p>Not that Jongdae had not been. But Baekhyun always felt as if he owed him, for what happened to his family.</p><p>With Chanyeol, it was as easy as breathing. There was no pressure, no burden to be a perfect person, a perfect partner. He walked away from his company, his job, on his own.</p><p>“Is it ever hard?” Chanyeol asked one night, when all the chores were done and there were two bottles of beer between them, half empty.</p><p>“Hard?”</p><p>“Knowing that you loved him and you walked away from ever loving him again.”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked.</p><p>“It’s always hard,” he said, slumping back into his chair. “I miss him.”</p><p>There was a hole in his chest, where Jongdae used to be and he was not sure anyone could come close to filling it. Though Chanyeol was doing a pretty good job.</p><p>“I wonder how Yixing is doing,” Chanyeol said absently. “Do you think he got Jongin back?”</p><p>“Does he <em>want</em> him back?” Baekhyun asked. “Didn’t he sleep with his best friend?”</p><p>It was the first time he had said those words aloud. Even Yixing had not said them, perhaps out of fear that speaking them made them true. But Baekhyun had no doubt that that was he had seen that made him hit Jongin so hard.</p><p>Chanyeol scoffed, shaking his head.</p><p>“You have little faith in Yixing. His love for Jongin greatly outweighs anything else in the world.”</p><p>“So typical,” Baekhyun sighed, leaning back in his chair. “He is a child of Aphrodite’s after all.”</p><p>An amused smile danced over Chanyeol’s lips as he took another sip out of his bottle, planting his feet on the kitchen table.</p><p>“As a son of Apollo, you really carry none of his traits,” he said.</p><p>Baekhyun rolled his eyes, kicking Chanyeol hard in the knee.</p><p>“I was born outside of Greece. Why else would he give me the <em>gladius</em>? It is a Roman weapon.”</p><p>A long beat of silence followed, broken only by the chirping of the crickets.</p><p>“They’re interchangeable really,” Chanyeol said, his voice quiet. “According to an old friend.”</p><p>His gaze was so faraway, Baekhyun wondered where he had gone, if he mistook the pain in his voice. But it was not in his nature to pry, so he sat there, a quiet companion while Chanyeol fell back into the swirling depths of his memories.</p><p>“We should sleep,” he said eventually, blinking rapidly. Baekhyun watched his smile slide back into place, perfect happy again.</p><p>It was the weakness, the distance in his eyes that made him do it. Made him lean forward and kiss him, so soft and quick that he barely felt it himself.</p><p>“Yeah, we should,” he whispered when Chanyeol looked at him, startled.</p><p>A slow, <em>real</em> smile crept over Chanyeol’s lips and he found himself smiling back.</p><p>Things shifted between them because of course they did. Jongdae still occupied a large part of his heart but now, Baekhyun had room for Chanyeol.</p><p>Chanyeol drifted from the guest bed and into Baekhyun’s and some nights, when the nightmares grew too much, Baekhyun would wake to a long leggy octopus wrapped around him.</p><p>The monsters grew easier to bear when there was someone to kiss away the darkness.</p><p> “You should go back to sleep,” Baekhyun whispered, one such night.</p><p>A storm brewed outside, the rain lashing down so hard that the window panes rattled. Baekhyun’s heart shook with them when a slash of lightning cut across the sky, illuminating Chanyeol’s tired face.</p><p>“You’re up,” Chanyeol grumbled, laying his head against Baekhyun’s shoulder.</p><p>The motion forced Baekhyun to lay back down, so that he did not wake him fully.</p><p>“I wanted to check the doors. Maybe the windows too,” Baekhyun said, turning to press his lips against his cheek. He smiled when Chanyeol leaned into the kiss, still half asleep.</p><p>“Come with you,” Chanyeol burbled, clinging on like a koala.</p><p>Baekhyun was about to retort when a crack of thunder shook the house. Something thudded outside, like the front door had swung open.</p><p>A shadow fell at the edge of Baekhyun’s vision and his blood ran cold.</p><p>There was someone in the house.</p><p>“What is it?” Chanyeol asked. He must have felt Baekhyun stiffen.</p><p>“Fetch your sword,” Baekhyun said, without preamble.</p><p>Another bolt of lightning slashed through the sky and he sucked in a sharp breath. The sky was angry, if the rain pelting against his windowpanes like rocks were any indication.</p><p>Chanyeol’s gaze sharpened and he was alert at once, reaching beneath the bed. Baekhyun had once laughed at him, when he kept his Stygian sword under their bed but now, he was grateful for it.</p><p>“It’s Yifan,” Chanyeol breathed, his breath brushing over his ear. “What the hell is Ares’ son doing here?”</p><p>“How do you know?” Baekhyun whispered.</p><p>“War and death go hand in hand. I can feel him.”</p><p>The shadow crept through the living room, another set of footsteps following behind. They were quickly approaching the bedroom, where the door stood ajar, due to Baekhyun’s penchant for walking around at night.</p><p>“I’ll engage,” Chanyeol whispered, already drawing his sword.  “I’ll buy you time. You go.”</p><p>Baekhyun blinked.</p><p>“Ares’ children fight like brutes. He will destroy you,” he said urgently.</p><p>“Then I’ll see you in our next life. After all that I’ve done, being allowed this time with you has been more than I deserve,” Chanyeol answered.</p><p>His smile was devastating, twisting a knife into Baekhyun’s heart. He was gone before he could answer, a shrill squeaking echoing in the air when Yifan drew his sword.</p><p>The window shattered, a shadow leaping through it in a flash of lightning.</p><p>Baekhyun whirled, reaching for the knife he slept with under his pillow but the man was too quick.</p><p>Pain cracked through his jaw, like a whip snake and he staggered back, the wind knocked out of his lungs. Panic slithered through his veins when the silver blur of a sword flashed before him.</p><p>He lunged back, barely able to catch himself against the wall before the man was upon him.</p><p>Just the sight of him was enough to snatch the air from his lungs.</p><p>“Jongdae,” Baekhyun breathed, pain swirling in his chest. “I-.”</p><p>The lord’s brow furrowed but his grip did not relent. The tip of his <em>falcata</em> pierced into Baekhyun’s flesh, breaking skin.</p><p>“I know you,” Jongdae murmured, “you tried to kill me.”</p><p>Baekhyun inhaled sharply. He could not see what Jongdae’s companion had done to Chanyeol but the lack of sound worried him. </p><p>Chanyeol would not be able to use greek fire for fear for killing everyone else around him.</p><p>“No, Dae, I-.”</p><p>“No more words, child of Apollo,” Jongdae gritted out, “you will not convince me to let you live.”</p><p>Baekhyun let out a cry, fingers closing around the blade of the <em>falcata</em>. Blood dripped from his fingers as he struggled, trapped in place by the tip of Jongdae’s sword like a butterfly on a pin.</p><p>“I have no intention- ah!”</p><p>The sword pushed in deeper and Baekhyun screwed up his eyes, his throat working.</p><p>“I don’t want the wish. You can have it,” he panted, the metallic tang of blood welling in his mouth. “Just leave- leave us alone, <em>please</em>.”</p><p>“You think I’m here for the wish?” Jongdae’s expression twisted. “<em>You</em>.”</p><p>The tip twisted and Baekhyun screamed, his hands shaking from the effort of keeping Jongdae’s sword from completely piercing his heart.</p><p>“Tried to <em>kill </em>me.”</p><p>“I don’t even <em>know </em>you!” Baekhyun gasped. That was true, at least in this timeline, he did not.</p><p>Blood trickled out of his mouth, the pain fire in his nerves.</p><p>Where was Chanyeol?</p><p>“Yet you know my name,” Jongdae sneered, “stop lying, child of Apollo. You will die today.”</p><p><em>“</em>Let him go!” An explosion rocketed from the room behind Jongdae, sending him flying.</p><p>Baekhyun collapsed against the wall, choking on his own blood. Jongdae’s sword had missed his heart but it must have punctured a lung, for he sounded like a leaky balloon, blood bubbling up with every breath.</p><p>“Baek.” The room swirled with darkness and Chanyeol’s face was like liquid before his eyes. Baekhyun clasped a hand over his wound, his eyes searching.</p><p>“Is he dead?” he croaked, blood dripping with his lips with every word. “Don’t kill him, please.”</p><p>Chanyeol curved around him, his warmth strangely comforting. He wondered if this was what everyone felt when they died, that warmth and the numbness spreading through his veins.</p><p>Chanyeol’s lips were moving, his brows furrowed but Baekhyun could not hear him anymore.</p><p>The world was fading, shadows dancing at the edges of his vision. He swore he heard his mother calling to him. He looked into Chanyeol’s liquid eyes, saw Jongdae, the first love of his life and he let go.</p><p>-</p><p>The sea was calm, so calm that it was a mirror in which Chanyeol could see his reflection in. Seagulls squawked as they dive bombed an unsuspecting couple, breaking them apart when the woman ducked away, shrieking.</p><p>Chanyeol bowed his head, a tiny smile tugging at his lips as his feet squished in the wet sand. His cardigan blew out behind him, caught by a soft breeze that ruffled his hair. He tasted salt on his tongue when the waves rushed in, tossing white foam into the air.</p><p>The estate was only feet away, gritty sand rubbing against his skin when he emerged out of the water, sun drying his shoulders.</p><p>He snatched the towel off the rail, wood boards creaking beneath his feet. They were flaking already, worn down by one too many trips down to the beach.</p><p>Chips of paint clung to the soles of his feet as he walked up the deck, settling into the chair. He was dripping salt water onto the orange cushions, the fabric turning a darker shade as he reached for the wineglass on the table.</p><p>The sea gleamed, an azure blue that reminded him of eyes the colour of the Aegean Sea. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as the wind swept through his hair.</p><p>His fingers closed around the stem of the wineglass and he lifted it to the winds, opening his eyes to look at the flat planes of the water. If he squinted, he could almost see the very pier that he had stood on, greeting a white haired man.</p><p>It had been a full year.</p><p>A full year since he last saw his father, a full year since he dissolved the wishes, since he sealed the fate of all Olympian children for good.</p><p>The world was at peace, the winds quiet and the sea so blue and clear he could see for miles.</p><p>Chanyeol hoped he made the right choice, that wherever he was, Baekhyun would be proud. He raised his glass in a toast, blinking back tears that he did not know had welled up in his eyes.</p><p>“I hope you’re happy where you are,” he murmured, “I hope you’re reunited with the one you love the most.”</p><p>They could have had a thousand different futures together if he had dared to take it. But it was not what Baekhyun would have wanted.</p><p>It was not what Jongin had wanted either, not what Yixing would have wanted.</p><p>Chanyeol took a sip of his wine, screwing his eyes shut. He drank another toast, this time, a toast to both men, condensation dripping over his fingers.</p><p>In a way, he envied them.</p><p>For it was harder to live, than it was to die.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>